Case for portable electronic device

ABSTRACT

A case for an electronic device protects the electronic device. The case has a back of a first material that is relatively rigid and a frame structure with sides of a second material that is relatively elastic and flexible, which absorb shock. In a specific implementation, the first material is a polycarbonate and the second material is a thermoplastic polyurethane, formed together by a co-molding plastic injection process. The thermoplastic polyurethane extends around a perimeter of the case. To insert the device, the sides of the case elastically stretch over sides of the device, and then elastically contract to their original size and shape to retain the device in the case.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/441,318, filed Dec. 31, 2016. Thisapplication is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 29/562,557, filed Apr. 26, 2016. All of the above applicationsare hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and are tobe considered a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure is related to a case for portable electronic devices.There are many types of portable electronic devices including personaldigital assistants (PDAs), computers, smartphones, mobile phones,satellite phones, cellular phones, pagers, music players, MP3 players,media players, digital cameras, video cameras, bar code scanners, globalpositioning system (GPS) units, and portable game consoles.

These portable electronic devices allow people to play and record music,send and receive e-mail, send text messages, browse Web pages, makephone calls, play and record video, take and view pictures, editdocuments, and much more. These devices continue to revolutionize theway people interact, learn, connect with other people, conduct business,and find things. They help people manage their daily lives and can be asource of entertainment. These devices can be used to store valuableinformation including personal information (e.g., phone numbers,financial information, private photos or videos, and favorite musictracks).

Typically these devices are intended to be carried or moved about. Assuch, these devices are more vulnerable to damage as compared tonon-portable devices. These devices are more likely to be accidentallydropped, hit, or scratched. Some types of damage may be cosmetic (e.g.,scratch). However, other types of damage may ruin or limit thefunctionality of the device. Often these devices contain sensitive andfragile components (e.g., screen, camera lens, flash, processors,accelerometers, and sensors). Accidentally dropping the device couldrender various features unusable.

Therefore, it is desirable to protect the electronic device while stillallowing features of the device to be easily accessed.

SUMMARY

A case for an electronic device protects the electronic device. The casehas a back of a first material that is relatively rigid and a framestructure with sides of a second material that is relatively elastic andflexible, which absorb shock. In a specific implementation, the firstmaterial is a polycarbonate and the second material is a thermoplasticpolyurethane, formed together by a co-molding plastic injection process.The thermoplastic polyurethane extends around a perimeter of the case.To insert the device, the sides of the case elastically stretch oversides of the device, and then elastically contract to their originalsize and shape to retain the device in the case.

A specific implementation of the case is known as the Incase Crate Caseproduct. The Crate Case is co-molded with dual materials for double thedefense. The Crate Case is precision-engineered with a tough back shelland shock-absorbing bumper. With a raised bezel around the perimeter ofthe device, the screen stays protected while the hard shell exterioroffers surface protection. The impact-resistant Crate Case is designedfor full access to all ports and controls.

In a specific implementation, the case is designed for the Apple 6 and 7families, which include the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, 7, and 7Plus. The case is sized to accommodate the phone. The iPhone 7 has alength of about 138.3 millimeters (5.44 inches), a width of 67.1millimeters (2.64 inches), and a thickness of 7.1 millimeters (0.28inches). A weight of the iPhone 7 is about 138 grams (4.87 ounces). TheiPhone 7 Plus has a length of about 158.2 millimeters (6.23 inches), awidth of 77.9 millimeters (3.07 inches), and a thickness of 7.3millimeters (0.29 inches). A weight of the iPhone 7 Plus is about 188grams (6.63 ounces).

The iPhone 7 includes: Retina HD display, 4.7-inch (diagonal)LED-backlit widescreen, multi-touch display with IPS technology,1334-by-750-pixel resolution at 326 pixels per inch, and 1400:1 contrastratio (typical). The iPhone 7 Plus includes: Retina HD display, 5.5-inch(diagonal) LED-backlit widescreen, multi-touch display with IPStechnology, 1920-by-1080-pixel resolution at 401 pixels per inch, and1300:1 contrast ratio (typical). Both models include: wide color display(P3), 625 candela per square meter max brightness (typical), dual-domainpixels for wide viewing angles, fingerprint-resistant oleo-phobiccoating, support for display of multiple languages and characterssimultaneously, display zoom, and reachability. The iPhone 7 family israted IP67 under IEC standard 60529.

The iPhone 7 has back camera: 12 megapixel camera, f/1.8 aperture, anddigital zoom up to 5 times. The iPhone 7 Plus has a back camera: 12 MPwide-angle and telephoto cameras, f/1.8 aperture for the wide anglelens, f/2.8 aperture for the telephoto lens, optical zoom at 2 times,and digital zoom up to 10 times. A back of the case include a backopening to expose a camera lens and flash of the electronic device.

In a specific implementation, a case for a portable electronic device isa single piece design. In the second material, the left side edge of thecase has a covered button for the volume up and volume buttons of thephone, and an opening for the ringer control. In the second material,the right side edge of the case has a covered button for on-off button.In the second material, the bottom side edge of the case has threeopenings, two openings for two speaker-microphones of the phone, and anopening between the two openings for a power connector (e.g., AppleLightning port) of the phone.

The sides of the case are slightly curved and wrap around the sides ofthe device. Further an upper portion of the sides extends to cover anedging of a front of the device. A lower portion of the sides extends tocover a portion of a back of the phone. When the device is in the case,the upper portion retains the phone in the case, such that device ispressed against the second material of the lower portion of the sides.The lower portion helps to protect the device from scratches, providesshock absorption, and ensures a tight and secure fit.

There is not an additional need for the protective strips, stripes,pads, or spines, such as over-molded thermoplastic elastomers (TPE)strips, in the back of the first material. This allows the back of thecase to be clear of obstructions. Thus, when the back is made of atransparent or translucent material, there will not be any protectivestrips or pads to obscure a view of the back of the device.

In an implementation, a case for a portable electronic device includes aframe structure (or side structure) and back panel. The frame structureis made from a first material. The back panel is made from a secondmaterial, different from the first material, and the first material hasa different shock absorption characteristic from the second material.

The frame structure includes a side border having an exterior edge andinterior edge. The exterior and interior edges being separated by a sideborder width. The interior edge surrounds a perimeter of a compartmentor cavity for the portable electronic device. The back panel isconnected to the frame structure, and more specifically, to a first sideof the side border. The sides of the portable electronic device arecushioned against side impacts by the first material having a thicknessof the frame border width.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent upon consideration of the following detailed descriptionand the accompanying drawings, in which like reference designationsrepresent like features throughout the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first perspective view of a case for a portableelectronic device.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the case.

FIG. 3 shows a back view of the case.

FIG. 4 shows left-side view of the case.

FIG. 5 shows a right-side view of the case.

FIG. 6 shows a top view of the case.

FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of the case.

FIG. 8 shows a second perspective view of the case.

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a corner of the case.

FIG. 10 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of an upper porter ofthe case.

FIG. 11 shows a bottom of the case.

FIG. 12 shows a camera ring of the case.

FIG. 13 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the camera ring.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-8 shows various view of a case for a portable electronic device.FIG. 1 shows a first perspective view of the case. FIG. 2 shows a frontview. FIG. 3 shows a back view. FIG. 4 shows left-side view. FIG. 5shows a right-side view. FIG. 6 shows a top view. FIG. 7 shows a bottomview. FIG. 8 shows a second perspective view.

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a corner of the case. FIG. 10 shows aperspective cross-sectional view of an upper porter of the case. FIG. 11shows a bottom of the case. FIG. 12 shows a camera ring of the case.FIG. 13 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the camera ring.

FIG. 2 shows the case in a portrait mode orientation. However, theorientation of the case may change (e.g., landscape mode orientation orupside-down orientation) or vary depending on the point of view or theorientation of the electronic device.

This case can be used to protect a portable electronic device, such as asmartphone, from damage. The case includes a compartment or cavity 105which holds the portable electronic device. The case may include one ormore openings (e.g., opening 107) or button coverings (e.g., button 109)so that a user can access the various features, controls, buttons,switches, dials, knobs, and ports of the electronic device (e.g., touchscreen, camera lens, camera flash, power button, headphone jack, and thelike) while the electronic device is encased within the case.

Features and aspects of this case may be applied to cases for variousportable electronic devices and device types. In a specificimplementation, the portable electronic device to be protected is asmartphone. For purposes of discussion, this patent applicationdescribes the case as being for a smartphone. Some examples ofsmartphones include the Apple® iPhone®, Samsung® Galaxy®, and there aremany others.

However, the case can be used with any type of battery-powered portableelectronic device, where this device does not necessarily providetelephony functionality. For example, in other implementations, the casemay be for a portable or handheld gaming device (e.g., Sony®PlayStation® Portable or PSP®, or Nintendo® DS™), tablet computer (e.g.,Apple iPad®) portable or palm-sized computer, personal digital assistant(PDA), pager, audio player, video player, media player (Apple® Touch),cassette player, compact disc (CD) player, digital video disc (DVD)player, camera, video recorder, digital recorder, voice recorder, musicrecorder, digital audio recorder, or nonvolatile memory storage (e.g.,Flash or phase-change memory).

Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Apple is atrademark of Apple Computer Incorporated. Samsung is a trademark ofSamsung Electronics Company Limited. Sony is a trademark of SonyCorporation. PlayStation and PSP are trademarks of Sony ComputerEntertainment Incorporated. Nintendo is a trademark of Nintendo Company,Limited.

The case has a back or bottom 119 and four sides 122 (e.g., left), 124(e.g., upper or top), 126 (e.g., right), and 128 (e.g., lower orbottom), which form the cavity that holds the portable electronicdevice. The case is a one-piece case; there are not two or more piecesthat need to be separated so that the portable electronic device can beinserted into the case. Rather, the portable electronic device can beinserted directly into the case by stretching the elastic sides of thecase. Specifically, the sides elastically stretch to fit over the sidesand front edge of the portable electronic device and then elasticallycontract to their original size to hold securely against the sides andfront edge of the device. Removal of the portable electronic device fromthe case is the reverse of insertion.

The case is made from two different materials, (i) a relatively hard orrigid plastic or polymer material and (ii) a softer, more flexible orelastic plastic or polymer material. The back of the case is made of therelatively hard or rigid material while a frame structure which includesthe sides are made from the flexible or elastic material. A framestructure including the sides extend around the perimeter of the caseand is connected to the back. In the case in FIG. 1, there are foursides and a back. The frame structure will have a rubberized or grippiertexture as compared to the back panel.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sides form the front opening of the case form aclosed-polygon shape. In a specific implementation, the closed-polygonshape is a rectangle with rounded corners. In other implementations, theclosed-polygon shape can have any shape (e.g., square, trapezoid,pentagon, hexagon, octagon, star, circle, arc, or oval).

The two materials can be formed together through a co-molding orco-injection molding process. During co-molding, the two differentmaterials are thermally bonded or fused together. Alternatively, the twomaterials can be formed separately and then fitted together (e.g.,interlocked or interconnected) to form the case. The construction ofcase can be considered to a composite construction because two or moredifferent materials (e.g., hard or rigid plastic and flexible or elasticplastic) are used to form the case.

In a specific implementation, the hard or rigid plastic or polymermaterial is a polycarbonate (PC) or other plastic or polymer that isharder or more rigid than the side material. In an implementation, thehard or rigid plastic or polymer material is translucent, transparent,or clear, so that light can shine or pass through the material. Further,when a phone or other portable electronic device is in the case, a backof the case is visible through the back of the case. In otherimplementations, the hard or rigid plastic or polymer material can beopaque, so light striking one side of the back will not be visible fromthe other side.

The two different of the case can be made in any color, combination ofcolors, combination of hues, or combinations of colors and hues. Forexample, the back material can be a first color or a hue, while thesides can be a second color or hue, where the second color or hue isdifferent from the first color. There is a camera ring, which can beblack or another dark color, to reduce or prevent flash glare. The firstand second colors can be different from the color or the camera ring.U.S. Pat. No. 8,509,864 describes a camera ring for smartphone or otherportable electronic device that prevents glare from flash from affectingthe camera and is incorporated by reference. U.S. patent applicationSer. Nos. 15/333,419, 15/335,375, 15/335,428, and 15/335,430, filed Oct.26, 2016 are incorporated by reference.

In a specific implementation, the flexible or elastic plastic or polymermaterial is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer(TPE) material, or other plastic or polymer that is softer or moreflexible or elastic than the back material. As further example, thesides can be made an elastomer, elastic polymer, elastomeric compound,polyurethane, polystyrene, vinyl, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or nylon,rubber, silicone, and many others. An elastomer is a polymer withviscoelasticity (or “elasticity”), generally having low Young's modulusand high failure strain compared with other materials. The sides can bemade from a composite or combination of multiple relatively flexible orelastic polymers.

The flexible or elastic plastic or polymer material can also be a foam(e.g., polymer or other substance with trapped bubbles) that providescushioning or padding. Some examples of foam include ethylene vinylacetate (EVA), quantum foam, polyurethane foam (foam rubber), XPS foam,polystyrene, phenolic, or many other manufactured foams.

EVA is the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The weight percentvinyl acetate usually varies from 10 to 40 percent, with the remainderbeing ethylene. EVA is often referred to as expanded rubber or foamrubber. EVA is a polymer that approaches elastomeric materials insoftness and flexibility, yet can be processed like otherthermoplastics. The material has good clarity and gloss, low-temperaturetoughness, stress-crack resistance, hot-melt adhesive waterproofproperties, and resistance to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

In an implementation, the sides are opaque while the back istranslucent. In various other implementations, the sides are opaquetranslucent and the back is opaque. The sides are translucent and theback is translucent. The sides are translucent while the back is opaque.

The hard or rigid plastic provides impact protection, such as protectionagainst sharp impacts. The sides (of the frame structure) of the caseprovide shock absorption. To absorb shock, kinetic energy such asgenerated during the impact against the case is turned into heat andabsorbed by the material instead of transferring the impact energy tothe device being protected by the case.

The back material is more rigid than the frame structure or sidematerial, which allows in absorb impact shock. For example, the backmaterial (e.g., polycarbonate) can crack, shatter, or fracture on impactto distribute the energy of the impact. In an implementation, thecracked back panel can be replaced with a replacement panel. Or theentire case can be replaced after the impact-absorbing back panel isspent due to an impact.

The sides can be a foam, and the trapped bubbles in the foam act likecompressible springs to absorb the shock. And then after the shock asbeen absorbed, the frame elastically returns to its original shape(e.g., the bubbles in the foam expand back to their original shape). Inan implementation, the back material is less elastic than the sides.Thus, a spring constant (Hooke's law) for the back material will lessthan that for the sides. So, typically, the back material will notabsorb as much kinetic energy as the sides.

To allow access to the ports, speakers, and microphone, there areopenings. An opening of the case may be referred to as an access hole, acombined access hole, or a slot. An opening can have any shape. Forexample, a shape of an opening may be a circle, semicircle, square,square with rounded corners, rectangle, rectangle with rounded corners,oval, ellipse, triangle, obround (e.g., a shape having two semicirclesconnected by parallel lines tangent to their endpoints), crescent,pentagon, hexagon, simple polygon, and so forth. An opening may have aclosed-shape or figure such as a camera opening 216 (FIG. 2).

In this specific implementation, the camera opening is formed as asingle opening where the single opening exposes a camera lens and flashof the electronic device. When the case is placed on the portableelectronic device, this camera opening exposes, makes accessible, ormakes visible a camera lens and camera flash of the electronic device.The smartphone's camera lens and flash aligns behind the back opening sothat the camera lens' view and flash are unobstructed. A picture orvideo taken with the smartphone in the case will not capture the sidesor edges of the camera openings.

For some portable electronic devices or smartphones, the camera lens andflash of the smartphone are located relatively close to each other.Forming the back opening as a single large opening as compared toforming two small openings, each opening aligning with one of the cameralens or flash, has several benefits. One benefit is that the cameralens' view will be less likely to be obstructed because there is no casematerial between the camera lens and the flash. Thus, a picture takenwith the smartphone in the case will not capture case material betweenthe camera lens and flash because there is no case material to capture.

Another benefit is that the light from the flash will be less likely tobe obstructed because there is no case material between the camera lensand the flash. Camera subjects can be clearly illuminated by the flashbecause there is no case material between the camera lens and the flashto block light from the flash. This can help to produce pictures wherethe picture subjects are clearly illuminated with all physical featuresgenerally shown and without unwanted shadows. By not blocking light fromthe flash, the single large back opening feature can help facilitatetaking good pictures—especially where ambient light is inadequate (e.g.,taking pictures indoors such as at an indoor party, taking pictures atnight, taking pictures on a cloudy day, and so forth).

In this specific implementation, a shape of the camera opening is anoval or a rectangle having rounded corners. This shape allows the edges(or ends) of the back opening to follow or at least partially follow thecurvatures or outlines of the camera lens and flash which are typicallycircular. Having the shape of the back opening match, partially match,or resemble at least a portion of the outlines or shapes of the cameralens and flash can help to provide protection to the smartphone whilestill allowing the camera lens and flash to be unobstructed by the casematerial. That is, the surface area of the back of the smartphoneoutside of the camera lens and flash will be protected or covered by thecase material, but the case material will not overlap or cover thecamera lens and flash to block the camera lens and flash. Thus, in somecases it is desirable to select a shape for the back opening where theshape (or at least portions of the shape) resemble the shape of thecamera lens, flash, or both.

In a specific implementation, the back of a case has does not have acamera opening. The back of the case is a continuous surface that isuninterrupted by openings. In this specific implementation, the case maybe made of a transparent material (e.g., a clear material) to permitlight to pass through the case material and be received by the cameralens of the portable electronic device, to permit light from the flashto pass through the case material and illuminate the subject, or both.In other words, from the flash passes in a first direction through thecase material. Ambient light, reflected light from the flash, or both,passes in a second direction, opposite the first direction, through thecase material to be received by the camera lens.

Covering the camera lens and flash can further protect the camera lensand flash from damage (e.g., scratches), debris, or both. However, theportable electronic device is still able to take pictures, record video,or both because of the transparent case material.

FIG. 10 shows a cross section of the case, where a hard or rigid plasticcase portion 1015 is connected to a flexible or elastic plastic portion1045 (which may be referred to as a frame structure). The hard or rigidplastic case portion can be referred to as a first case material, andthe flexible or elastic plastic portion can be referred to as a secondcase material.

The back of the case is made form the first case material. The framestructure and sides of the case are made from the second case material.The cross section of the sides has an arc or C shape. The sides of theportable electronic device are held between ends of the C-shaped sidesof the case. Opposite sides of the case hold the ends of the deviceagainst each other. For example, the bottom side is against the bottomof the device and elastically urges the device and top of the deviceagainst the top side of the case, and vice versa.

The frame structure and sides and second case material extends into theback of the case via a first extension 1066 and a second extension 1068.The first extension is against an inside surface of back 1015, while thesecond extension is against an outside surface of the back. The firstextension extends further away from the side than the second extension.So, when the back is translucent, the first extension is visible throughthe back. See FIG. 3. In an implementation, a surface of the firstextension is flush with the inside surface of back. A surface of thesecond extension is flush with the outside surface of back.

There is gap and difference in length that the first and secondextensions extend from the side. The back extends in to the gap formedby this difference, and this gap structure holds the back in placebetween the first and second extensions of the second case material. Asshown in FIG. 2, the second case material extends along an edging 239 ofthe back. When the portable electronic device is in the case, the edgingis against the back of the case. So, the back of the device is suspendedin the case by the flexible or elastic plastic material.

FIG. 9 shows details of the structure of the edging and also sides ofthe case. The edging has raised rings 922, that extend from the surfaceof the first extension. The raised rings are formed along the entireedging of the back side. In a specific implementation, the raised ringshave an obround or oval shape, but can be other shapes (e.g., anypolygonal shape or circular) in other implementations. The back of theportable electronic device is held against the raised rings by an upperedge or lip 934 (e.g., upper end of the C-shaped side). The raised ringsand their obround or oval shape (with opening within the raised ring)hold the device being protected, and provide a spacing gap, suspendingthe device in the case, thus providing additional protection for theback of the device.

The sides of the case also have a structure of raised regions or peaks946 and lower regions or grooves or valleys 955, which repeat on thesides of the case. When a device is in the case, the raised regions willbe against the sides of the device. The raised regions or peaks hold thedevice being protected, and provide a spacing gap, suspending the deviceaway from the grooves, thus providing additional protection for thesides of the device.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the device is in the case, the upper edge oflip 934 has a thickness that extends away from, for example, thedevice's screen. When a user turns the device and places it face down ona surface (e.g., table), the lip's thickness will prevent the device'sscreen from touching the surface. This will help protect the device frompossible scratching. Also, in an implementation, the corners of the caseare rounded, having a particular radius of curvature.

FIG. 13 shows a cross section of the camera ring and second casematerial. The camera ring is typically made from a different plasticthan the flexible or elastic plastic portion and cross-sectionalstructure shown locks the ring in place. For example, the camera ringcan be a polycarbonate or other polymer.

A specific flow for making a case as described in this application isdescribed below. However, it should be understood that the invention isnot limited to the specific flows and steps presented. A flow of theinvention may have additional steps (not necessarily described in thisapplication), different steps which replace some of the steps presented,fewer steps or a subset of the steps presented, or steps in a differentorder than presented, or any combination of these. Further, the steps inother implementations of the invention may not be exactly the same asthe steps presented and may be modified or altered as appropriate for aparticular application or based on the data or situation.

1. Forming a back of the case from a rigid plastic or polymer material,such as polycarbonate. The rigid plastic or polymer material can betranslucent or transparent. The back of the case can be formed usinginjection molding.

2. Forming sides of the case from a flexible or elastic plastic orpolymer material, such as a thermoplastic polyurethane or thermoplasticelastomer. The sides of case can also be formed using injection molding.

For example, the case can be formed using a co-injection moldingprocess. The two different materials of the back and sides can be formedtogether. There is a mold of the case portions. A liquid or uncuredplastic is injected or poured into the mold along with a catalyst. Themold and plastic is subjected to a temperature to activate the catalystand material. After a sufficient time for processing to occur, the moldcan be opened, and the plastic case portion removed. The case portioncan be cleaned and flashing removed. The mold used in the processing caninclude features that will form features (e.g., camera-flash opening) ofthe case described in this application.

3. Forming a camera opening through a back of the case to make visible acamera lens and flash of a portable electronic device that will beplaced in the case. For example, a mold used in processing a case willhave a feature that will form the back opening described. The mold willhave regions where plastic will be (e.g., vessels or channels) and alsoregions where plastic will be absent (e.g., solid mold material thatprevents plastic from curing or forming where the camera-flash openingis desired).

The case may be made using any manufacturing technique. Some examples ofmanufacturing techniques that may be used to make a case includeinjection molding, stereo-lithography, selective laser sintering, fuseddeposition molding, polyjet, casting (e.g., cast urethane molding), CNCmachining, or combinations of these.

In a step 3, the method includes forming a camera opening through a backof the case. In a specific implementation, the size of the cameraopening formed is sufficient to make visible a camera lens and flash ofthe portable electronic device that is to be placed in the case. In aspecific implementation, a length of the camera opening is greater thana width of the camera opening. The length and width are measured indirections transverse to each other. In this specific implementation, asingle camera opening exposes two features (e.g., camera lens and flash)of the electronic device. In another specific implementation, there aretwo or more camera openings. A first camera opening exposes camera lens.A second camera opening exposes a flash.

In another specific implementation, no back opening is formed throughthe back of the case. In this specific implementation, the case is madeof a transparent material so that light from the flash can betransmitted through the transparent case material. And ambient light,light reflected from the flash, or both, can be received by the cameralens. A case may be made of transparent material and have a single backopening that exposes one of the camera lens or flash.

In a specific implementation, the method includes coloring an edge ofthe back opening a black or other dark color, attaching a black or otherdark colored grommet to the back opening, or both. The black or darkcolor can help to reduce the glare from the flash to the camera. Thisstep is optional and is not included in some implementations of thecase.

The edging of the camera-flash opening (any other openings) may bechanged to a different color from that of the material. For example,when the case material is white or other light color, edging of thecamera-flash opening (and other openings) may be made black or otherdarker color than that of the case material. Applying the coloration tothe openings may be a subsequent step after the case is formed.

The method may further include forming or applying additional cushioningmaterial to the case, forming other openings to make accessible otherfeatures of the portable electronic device, forming covers to be placedover one or more openings of the case, applying a coating to the case(e.g., applying glare reducing coating to camera opening edge), applyinga surface treatment to the case (e.g., applying additional rubberizedtexture to one or more portions the case), or combinations of these.

The frame structure and sides of the case of the elastomeric materialprotect the electronic device from scratches, provide shock absorption(i.e., cushion electronic device), and help to ensure a tight and securefit for the electronic device. The sides may be described as rubbery or“grippy.”

Generally, the texture or feel of a material is dependent on materialproperties (e.g., hardness, modulus, and coefficient of friction),texture, and the TPE wall thickness. These factors may be varied toachieve the desired result. For example, by varying these factors, thesides may be made to be spongy, hard, soft, have a high coefficient offriction, have a low coefficient of friction, and so forth.

In a specific implementation, a coefficient of friction (COF) of thesides is greater than a coefficient of friction of the back to which thesides are attached or bonded to. For example, the COF of the sides isgreater than the back of the case to which the sides are attached.Generally, when two surfaces are dragged flat against each other, theresulting resistance is characterized as friction. The coefficient offriction characterizes the degree of force required to move one surfaceacross another—either from a complete stop (static friction) or when thesurface is already moving (kinetic friction).

Generally, the sides are designed (or have properties) such that it canprovide some level of shock absorption and have a COF such that theelectronic device will be secure within the case, but still allows theelectronic device to be removed from the case.

As shown in FIG. 4, a left sidewall includes a side opening. In thisspecific implementation, the side opening provides access to ringercontrols and covered buttons allow access to the volume buttons of thesmartphone. In this specific implementation, the side opening isuncovered so that the user's finger can pass through the side openingand physically touch the ringer or control of the smartphone.

The button cover covers or at least partially covers the side opening.The cover may be, for example, a flexible material such as a rubber. Thecover can help to protect the buttons of the smartphone from damage anddebris, but the buttons are still accessible because the cover can flexwhen the user pushes the cover which in turn pushes the controls (e.g.,depress volume up button by pressing on cover or depress volume downbutton by pressing on cover).

FIGS. 7 and 11 show bottom view of different implementations of a case.For example the FIG. 7 implementation can be for an Apple iPhone 6product, while the FIG. 11 implementation can be for an Apple iPhone 7product. A first bottom opening provides access to, for example, anApple Lightning port connector and other openings are for thespeaker-microphone holes of the device.

In other implementations, on or more of the bottom openings can bemerged together into a single opening. For example, there can be asingle opening on the bottom, instead of multiple openings as shown.

The case shown has specific openings sized, shaped, and positioned atparticular locations. These openings can be customized for a particularsmartphone. It should be appreciated that there may be any number ofopenings in the upper and lower portions of the case to allow featuresof a portable electronic device to be accessible to a user. There may bemore or fewer openings than that shown in the specific implementation inthe figures. For example, a larger opening can be used to replacemultiple smaller openings. And a single large opening may be replacedwith multiple smaller openings.

In a specific implementation, the case (or case material) includes or ismade of polycarbonate. The polycarbonate material may be printable oretchable so that images can be made visible on the case as discussedabove. The case may be made of suitable material such as plastic, nylon,metal (e.g., stainless steel, platinum, or aluminum), wood, orcombinations of these. In an implementation, the material of the case isa rigid hard plastic. Both upper and lower case portions are made of thesame material. The case portions made of a relatively rigid materialcannot be stretched as much as, for example, gel, silicone, or rubber,without cracking or breaking.

In a specific implementation, the case material is hard or rigid plasticor a non-elastomeric material such as a polycarbonate (e.g., BayerPC2405 or Makrolon® by Bayer Material Science LLC). The case materialcan be a plastic such as a high density polyethylene, low densitypolyethylene, thermoplastic, amorphous thermoplastic, or other resin orpolymer.

Some examples of thermoplastics includes acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS), acrylic, celluloid, cellulose acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate(EVA), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), fluoroplastics, ionomers, Kydex®,liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polyacetal (POM or acetal), polyacrylates(acrylic), polyacrylonitrile (PAN or acrylonitrile), polyamide (PA ornylon), polyamide-imide (PAI), polyaryletherketone (PAEK or ketone),polybutadiene (PBD), polybutylene (PB), polybutylene terephthalate(PBT), polycaprolactone (PCL), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycyclohexylene dimethyleneterephthalate (PCT), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polyketone (PK),polyester, polyethylene (PE), polyetheretherketone (PEEK),polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethersulfone(PES), polysulfone, polyethylenechlorinates (PEC), polyimide (PI),polylactic acid (PLA), polymethylpentene (PMP), polyphenylene oxide(PPO), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyphthalamide (PPA), polypropylene(PP), polystyrene (PS), polysulfone (PSU), polytrimethyleneterephthalate (PTT), polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl acetate (PVA),polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), andstyrene-acrylonitrile (SAN).

A soft-touch or rubberized coating may be additionally applied to thecase surface to help improve a user's grip on the case. The soft-touchcoating can make the case surface tacky or slightly tacky. In animplementation, both upper and lower case portions are made from thesame material. However, in other implementations, the upper and lowercase portions may be made of different types of materials (e.g.,different types of plastics). In other implementations, the casematerial may be (or include), rather than a hard or rigid plastic, acompliant or rubber-like material such as a gel, elastomeric, silicone,or rubber. In other implementations, fabric or other materials may bebonded, fused, or otherwise adhered to a surface the case. Suchmaterials may have a decorative patterns.

When a hard plastic is used, some portions of the case can be polishedto have a high gloss finish (e.g., similar to glass or a glossy blackpiano), while other portions will have the soft-touch coating (which isa matte finish). In other implementations, all surfaces can have a highgloss finish. Or, all surfaces can be coated with the soft-touchcoating.

The high gloss finish can be obtained or achieved by polishing, sanding,rubbing, or buffing the surface with a relatively fine grit material(e.g., sandpaper, polishing cloth, or paste). One can polish the plasticwith successively finer grit materials until the desired finish isobtained. Polishing can be performed using a buffing machine, such as arotary buffing machine or other buffing machine.

The soft-touch coating can be applied by, for example, spraying,brushing, or painting an appropriate coating on the desired surfaces. Ina specific implementation, the coating has a thickness of about 0.1millimeters. But the thickness of the coating can vary, for example, dueto manufacturing variations. In other implementations, for example, thethickness can be from about 0.05 millimeters to about 0.3 millimeters.In further implementations, the coating can be less than 0.05millimeters or greater than 0.3 millimeters. Generally, the surfaceswhere the soft-touch coating will be applied do not need to be polishedbefore the coating is applied. However, it may be desirable to buffslightly before applying the coating to ensure the surface is smooth(but not necessarily a high gloss finish) before applying the coating.

In other implementations, the case can be a material or includematerials other than plastic. Some examples of case materials includemetal (e.g., stainless steel or titanium), glass, transparent ortranslucent plastic, sapphire, diamond, leather, vinyl, quartz, granite,cloth, fabric, and many others.

This description of the invention has been presented for the purposes ofillustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise form described, and manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the teachingabove. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of the invention and its practical applications.This description will enable others skilled in the art to best utilizeand practice the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to a particular use. The scope of theinvention is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A case for a portable electronic device, the casecomprising: a frame structure comprising a side border having anexterior edge and an interior edge, the exterior and interior edgesbeing separated by a side border width, wherein the frame structurecomprises a first material, and the interior edge surrounds a perimeterof a compartment for the portable electronic device; and a back panelcoupled to a first side of the side border, wherein the back panelcomprises a second material different from the first material, andwherein the first material has a shock absorption characteristic that isdifferent from that of the second material.
 2. The case of claim 1,wherein sides of the portable electronic device are cushioned againstside impacts by the first material having a thickness of the side borderwidth.
 3. The case of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises atleast a thermoplastic polyurethane or thermoplastic elastomer material.4. The case of claim 1, wherein the second material comprises apolycarbonate material.
 5. The case of claim 1, wherein the secondmaterial comprises a polycarbonate material, and the second material istranslucent, and the first material is opaque.
 6. The case of claim 1,wherein a cross section of the frame structure comprises a firstextension portion, a second extension portion, and the back panel isbetween the first and second extension portions.
 7. The case of claim 1,wherein an inside surface of the frame structure comprises a pluralityof raised regions and grooves.
 8. The case of claim 1, wherein the framestructure comprises an edging comprises raised rings that is against aback of the portable electronic device when in the case.
 9. The case ofclaim 1 further comprising: a camera-flash ring, formed into the framestructure, that is positioned so a camera lens and flash of the camerais visible through the camera-flash ring from a back of the case.
 10. Acase for a portable electronic device, the case comprising: a framestructure comprising a side border having an exterior edge and aninterior edge, the exterior and interior edges being separated by a sideborder width, the frame structure further comprising an edging extendingfrom an inside surface of the frame structure and substantiallyperpendicular to the side border, the edging comprising a plurality ofraised rings, wherein the frame structure comprises a first material;and a back panel positioned between the first and second extensionportions and coupled to a first side of the side border, wherein theback panel comprises a second material different from the firstmaterial, and wherein the first material has a shock absorptioncharacteristic that is different from that of the second material. 11.The case of claim 10, wherein the first material comprises at least athermoplastic polyurethane or thermoplastic elastomer material.
 12. Thecase of claim 10, wherein the second material comprises a polycarbonatematerial.
 13. The case of claim 10, wherein the second materialcomprises a polycarbonate material, and the second material istranslucent, and the first material is opaque.
 14. The case of claim 10,wherein the inside surface of the frame structure further comprises aplurality of grooves.
 15. The case of claim 10, wherein the raised ringsare formed along the entire edging.
 16. The case of claim 10, wherein across section of the frame structure comprises a first extensionportion, a second extension portion, and the back panel is between thefirst and second extension portions.
 17. The case of claim 16, whereinthe raised rings are extended from the first extension portion.
 18. Thecase of claim 10 further comprising: a camera-flash ring, formed intothe frame structure, that is positioned so a camera lens and flash ofthe camera is visible through the camera-flash ring from a back of thecase.